Hans Plambeck Papers, 1900-1995

Predominant Dates: 1940s-1950s

The Hans Plambeck Papers are comprised of materials generated and collected by Sociology Professor Hans Plambeck that primarily reflect his work on a survey of ethnic groups in Oregon. Plambeck taught at Oregon State University from 1946-1976. The bulk of the materials date from the 1940s-1950s.

Creators

ID: MSS Plambeck

Extent: 1.4 cubic feet

More Extent Information

Scope and Content Notes

The focus of the Plambeck Papers is Plambeck’s survey and research of various ethnic groups in Oregon. The collection contains documentation relating to the survey itself including completed questionnaires, correspondence, contact lists, progress reports, and notes from interviews. The papers also consist of reference materials that include newspaper clippings, event programs, article reprints, circulars, reports, photographs embedded within reports, student papers, and newspapers from various American ethnic communities. Most of the files are arranged by nationality or religious group.

The collection includes Plambeck’s project planning materials which he used to prepare for his ethnic studies research. These materials include lists of research topics, sources to consider when conducting the research, contact information, questionnaires, status of his research, and write ups of his findings and conclusions. Other types of documents within his planning materials include correspondence, notebooks, surveys, newspaper clippings, and pamphlets.

Plambeck’s ethnic groups research materials include student papers, notes, interview notes, personal correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs embedded within reports, church pamphlets, and his own writings. These materials mainly cover ethnic groups in Oregon, but also other regions of the United States, including Minnesota, South Dakota, New York, and California. Most of the reference materials date from the 1940s through the 1950s, but the whole scope ranges from the 1900s to the 1990s. Several topics addressed in these materials include Japanese incarceration during World War II, discrimination against African Americans, immigration, cultural celebrations, and interracial marriage.

The student papers primarily represent assignments for coursework in "race relations" classes taught by William Smith at Linfield College and Texas Christian University. They discuss personal accounts of being first, second, and third generation immigrants in the United States for ethnic groups such as Irish, Norwegian, Jewish, Russian, Japanese, Hungarian, Mexican, Spanish, Korean, Filipino, French, Scandinavian, Finnish, Italian, Helvetia, etc. These race relations narratives are written by Oregonian students, but the papers pertain to the ethnic experience in the U.S. in general, often mixed with religious identities. The bulk of these papers were written between the 1920s and 1940s and contain several essays written by professor William Smith.

Biographical / Historical Notes

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Statement on Description:

We acknowledge that materials in SCARC collections and the language that describes them may be harmful. We are actively working to address our descriptive practices; for more information please see our SCARC Anti-Racist Actions Statement online. SCARC describes the contents of its collections using the language and terminology of the collections themselves. Since culturally acceptable terminology shifts over time, some of the terms that appear in these materials are currently outdated or offensive.

The term “gypsy” is considered derogatory by many Roma people. It comes from the word “Egyptian,” where many Europeans mistakenly believed the Romani came from. In 1971, at the First World Roma Congress, a majority of attendees voted to reject the use of the term “gypsy,” however some still use it to self-identify. In this collection, the term “gypsy” appears in the finding aid and describes Romani people in the context of Plambeck's research on ethnic groups in Oregon.

In order to provide historical context and to enable standardized searching and access across our collections, we have retained the original wording. We acknowledge the racism represented by the term “gypsy” and the harm it may cause our users. Providing access to these historical materials does not endorse any attitudes or behavior depicted therein. For more information, please see our blog post.

[Date of Acknowledgement: November 2024]

Arrangement

Preferred Citation: Hans Plambeck Papers (MSS Plambeck), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Acquisition Note: This collection was donated by the Oregon State University Ethnic Studies Department in 2014.

Languages of Materials

English

Other

Container List

Series 1: Research Files, 1900-1995 (1940s-1950s bulk) Add to Shelf

Plambeck’s research focus was a survey of ethnic groups in Oregon. His research files contain documentation relating to the survey itself and reference materials including student papers. Most of the files are arranged by nationality or religious group.

Box-Folder 1.1: Blank Surveys, undated Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.2: Project Outline, 1949 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.3: Bibliography, 1937-1952 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.4: Contacts, 1951-1955 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.5: Completed Questionnaires, 1951 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.6: Survey Conclusions, undated Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.7: Progress Report, 1951-1952 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.8: Completed Write-ups, undated Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.9: African Americans, 1943 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.10: Amish, 1944-1993 Add to Shelf: 1944-1958 (bulk), 1944-1993 (inclusive)
Box-Folder 1.11: Armenians, 1926-1943 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.12: Austrians, 1952 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.13: Basque, 1948-1966 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.14: Baptists, 1943 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.15: Chinese-Americans, 1924-1942 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.16: Croatian, 1951-1952 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.17: Czechs, 1951-1959 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.18: Danes, 1900-1951 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.19: Estonians, 1951 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.20: Filipinos, 1939 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.21: Finns, 1942-1988 Add to Shelf: 1942-1958 (bulk), 1942-1988 (inclusive)
Box-Folder 1.22: French, 1950-1971 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.23: Germans, 1941-1983 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.24: German-Jewish, 1925-1952 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.25: Gypsies, 1956-1967 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.26: Greeks, 1951-1974 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.27: Hollanders, 1950-1972 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.28: Hungarians, 1925-1966 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.29: Hutterites, 1947 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.30: Indians, 1938-1972 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.31: Irish, 1951-1995 Add to Shelf: 1951-1956 (bulk), 1951-1995 (inclusive)
Box-Folder 1.32: Italian, 1933-1972 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.33: Japanese-Americans, 1925-1950 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.34: Jewish, 1926 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.35: Koreans, undated Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.36: Latvians, 1951-1987 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.37: Lithuanian, 1952-1957 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.38: Mexican Immigrants, 1929 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.39: Norwegians, 1951-1959 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.40: Russians, 1931-1978 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.1: Scandinavians, 1949 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.2: Scotch, 1951-1957 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.3: Sephardic-Jewish, 1951 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.4: Swedes, 1948 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.5: Swiss, 1942-1959 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.6: Syrians, 1941-1954 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.7: Ukrainians, 1951-1957 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.8: Welsh, 1951 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.9: Mennonites, 1941-1949 Add to Shelf: (Folder 1 of 2)
Box-Folder 2.10: Mennonites, 1941-1949 Add to Shelf: (Folder 2 of 2)
Box-Folder 2.11: General Race Relations, 1944 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.12: Immigrant and minority materials, 1939-1975 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.13: Interracial marriage, 1927 Add to Shelf

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